Apple’s Competitors Jump the Gun, Anticipate Release Of New iPhone

SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 29: Andrew Velis wears an iWait t-shirt as he waits in line outside of an Apple store to purchase a new Apple iPhone June 29, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Hype for the iPhone, which will cost $499 or $599, has driven demand into overdrive as people have been lining up for days in front of Apple and AT&Tstores. The phone will be released nationawide at 6:00 p.m. June 29 nationwide. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Long Line (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE (KCBS) — Apple fans may already be salivating over reports that the iPhone 5 will be unveiled next week, but these rumors alone are enough to convince their competitors to announce their own products early.

Both Samsung and Sony rolled out new tablets and smartphones at Berlin’s IFA 2012 tech conference last week.

This week, Nokia, Motorola and Amazon have scheduled news conferences to announce their own latest devices. It’s probably not a coincidence according to Jason Snell, Editorial Director for both MacWorld and PC World.

KCBS’ Matt Bigler Reports:

“These companies can’t say that they’re not thinking about what Apple’s doing. They want to be out there before Apple takes the stage,” Snell said.

The rumored date for a new iPhone is September 12th, although nothing is official yet.
Snell said these earlier announcements are a gamble.

“I think they risk people forgetting that those products exist. They might be better off waiting until after the iPhone is out there. The iPhone is so popular that it is kind of like a force of nature. You kind of want to get out of the way,” Snell said.

Apple does not comment on upcoming announcements. The company is also expected to unveil a smaller version of the iPad later this fall.

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